LETTER: Waterbury Select Board Vice Chair Kane Sweeney shares resignation
February 1, 2026 | By Kane Sweeney Friends, allies, supporters and voters of Waterbury,
When I began my campaign for Select Board in 2022, I had no hope that I was going to win. I had only hoped that, at the very least, my campaign would bring attention to the crucial issue of how unaffordable Waterbury has become for the working class. To my surprise, we won!
Since that campaign and the subsequent victories in the two campaigns that followed, I’ve only ever worked on making Waterbury more affordable for working people. Whether it’s been giving ARPA funds to Downstreet to assist with the Marsh building project, the creation of the Housing Trust Fund, the proposed project at Stanley-Wasson, the rental registry, or any of the other numerous proposals I’ve lobbed at the other members of the board, my stance has always been clear: Working people deserve to live here.
The select board, since I was elected, has put a magnifying glass on the issue of housing and affordability and accomplished a lot –something that failed to materialize on past boards – and though we have not gone as far as I would have hoped, all that work has not been for naught. Which is why the next paragraph is going to be so hard.
Since 2023, my life has been the select board. I’m sure a few other members of the board share that sentiment. I’ve poured my all into this work and kept a stiff upper lip through the trials and errors that come with the duties and struggles of volunteer government.
However, recently I’ve accepted a job representing working people in a different capacity – union representative. Unfortunately, this new job will indirectly conflict with my ability to be the select board member that you have elected me to be. This has led me to the incredibly difficult decision to resign from the Waterbury Select Board, effective at the end of the annual meeting on Town Meeting Day 2026.
From the absolute bottom of my heart, I want to express that I love this town and this community, and I couldn’t dream of living anywhere else. Just because I won’t be on the board doesn’t mean that I’m going away. I will continue to be very loud about working people and affordability. You can count on that.
Thank you all for your continued support for affordable housing and working people. I hope that the incoming board members will continue our work towards a more affordable Waterbury.
Kane Sweeney, vice chair
Waterbury Select Board